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Cosmetic surgery is concerned with maintaining appearance, restoring it, or enhancing it beyond the average level toward some aesthetic goal. Cosmetic procedures have grown in popularity dramatically: the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States has increased over 50 percent since the start of the century, and in Asia, cosmetic surgery has become an accepted practice.

Advertising has grown to be an industry worth many billions of dollars across the world. Online advertising alone is believed to be worth $24 billion a year. Almost all public space has some advertisements in sight and all forms of media, from newspapers to the cinema, are also filled with adverts. Whilst this helps companies sell their products, and helps consumers to learn what is on offer, many believe that this huge amount of advertising can be harmful. It may make people want too much, or things that they cannot have, or it might make them feel inadequate when they don't have something. Is it really that bad? Let's discuss.

Artificial Intelligence are growing at an alarming rate. Computers get twice as smart every 18 months whereas humans still remain the same in terms of intelligence. Its only a matter of time before computers surpass humans. Humans won't stop until computers are able to do everything for them and make life easier. Little do they know, they are just making computers smarter than themselves... Do you agree? Come and make your point in the parliamentary debate tonight!

Note: if you wish to actively participate in the debate rather than just watch, please don't be late.

Smartphones are a great invention our ancestors could not even dream of: know the answer to a question instantly, talk to a friend from a thousand miles away, get a picture of that friend, carry a million books in your pocket, play a videogame in a queue... However, it turns out that smartphones can just as well do more harm that good, from disturbing our social life to endangering our children crossing the road. Should smartphones be banned for good? Let us debate.

The sophistication of modern surveillance technology has increased by leaps and bounds in the 21st century. Governments have unprecedented power to watch their citizens, to see almost every aspect of their private and public lives. By use of CCTV, internet censorship and infiltration, wire-taps, and a multitude of other systems, governments have enormous power to control the populace.

Should democracies refuse to sell technology that could be used for ill to regimes abroad, or does it have more to gain from treating them as equally valid governments?

Basic income is the form of social security where every citizen irrespective of their income, age, physical abilities, family status, and other factors normally taken into account in social security regularly receives a fixed amount of money from the government. It is now being tested in some countries like Finland and Canada. Will such a system benefit the society?

Until now, Speak Freely has been using the British format of parliamentary debates: 4 teams with six constructive speeches and two analysis speeches. In March, a debating championship will take place that is going to use a different debating format, with 2 teams, four constructive speeches and two analysis speeches with a very different timing pattern. Learn more about this format from my presentation, and let's practice debating.

According to the WHO, in 2004 there were approximately 2.25 million premature deaths worldwide linked to alcohol. Alcohol is responsible for 4.5% of the global disease burden, even after the protective effects of low and moderate alcohol consumption had been considered. Furthermore, binge drinking is becoming an increasing problem in most countries.

Is it time to try to solve the alcohol problem through more restrictions and campaigns or is it time for a ban policy?